Eddie's War
by sparkles321
Summary: When Eddie Ryland returns home to care for his ailing mother at 20, he is surprised to learn beautiful young Samantha Parkington has inherited the house next door. Can they call a truce to their earlier fights as children and become friends? And if so, will the outbreak of WW1 change everything?
1. Chapter 1

The brass knocker shone in stark contrast to the white door. Eddie Ryland stared at it , incomprehension plain on his face. To him, the knocker symbolized a gate- one he could not get through unless the gate keeper let him through. Would she? He didn't know. The twenty year old stomped his cold feet nervously in the hard packed snow and looked longingly at the safety of his home next door.

It had been twelve years since he was last here, at Samantha Parkington' s house, annoying her and that servant girl-_What was her name? Oh, yes, Nellie-_to no end. So much had changed since then. Elderly Mrs. Parkington and the Admiral had died, leaving their large My. Bedford home to Samantha. He looked expectantly at the door and sighed. What was he waiting for?

He lifted the heavy knocker and knocked. A middle aged butler appeared at the door.

"Yes?"

Eagerly, Eddie stumbled over the words. "Is Samantha-I mean Miss Parkington- here?"

"I'll inform her of your presence. Your name?"

"Edward Ryland."

The butler nodded, gestured at a seat, and left, bowing formally.

Eddie tool the opportunity to glance around the parlor. It was just as ornate as he'd remembered, as a small boy visiting with his mother. The butler emerged as he was inspecting a Ming vase, Samantha in tow. Quickly Eddie removed his hat. "Miss Parkington."

Samantha blinked in surprise.

"Eddie?!" Eddie Ryland? Was it really him? He was taller, his voice deeper, and... he had gotten quite handsome, hadn't he? She pinked slightly. "It's nice to see you again, Eddie."

He smiled. _Eddie_. Just like old times. "Thank you, Miss Parkington. It's nice to see you again as well."

She grinned shyly and stopped, suddenly formal again. "Let me call my sister, Nellie. She's staying here to help me settle in."

She turned to the butler. "Please send Miss O'Malley in."

Eddie's mind was churning. _Sister? Oh, that was right, they'd adopted the same servant girl who'd once worked for Mother. But things have changed since then...hadn't they?_ He hoped Samantha and Nellie wouldn't remember his old annoying ways.

Samantha was talking to him. "How have you been all these years, Eddie?"

"Quite well, thank you. It's good to be home again. I've been away at school, you know. I was very sorry to hear of your grandmother's passing."

"Thank you." Samantha kept her eyes on him, and he squirmed, remembering when they used to fight over the hedge between their houses.

"I've moved home as well, to manage the estate for Mother."

He spoke lightly, but there was a note of sadness in his voice, and Samantha remembered, (all too late) of Mr. Ryland' s untimely death due to influenza, and how his wife had been left grief stricken. Nellie entered then, and when she saw Eddie, her face changed...

**Should I continue? Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Shoutouts to Asline Nichole and Mad Tom for being amazingly wonderful reviewers! Much love. I really appreciate it! Keep the reviews coming! :D**

Nellie' s face darkened, but her expression soon faded to one of careful indifference. Her eyes met Samantha' s, then rested on Eddie.

She was slightly shorter than Samantha, with auburn hair that framed her face. Her freckles had nearly faded.

"Hello, Mr. Ryland."

He stood up and made a little bow, offering his most disarming grin in the process.

"Please, call me Eddie."

One of her eyebrows went up dangerously high, but a small smile played upon her face. "And how are you, Eddie? And Mrs. Ryland?"

"I'm fine, and Mother is doing as well as can be expected, thank you. And you?"

"Very well."

They engaged in polite chat about old friends.

"And Ida?"

"Why, she's a teacher at our old alma mater!"

"What about the twins, the ones I served 'ice cream'?"

Nellie and Samantha chuckled and both tried to speak at the same time.

"Agnes is a painter, you know, and Agatha is married to a Duke, just imagine! They have the most adorable little girl, with freckles just like Agatha ..."

He listened and laughed, and found he was enjoying himself immensely. He was in the midst of telling a lively tale about his professor's dog bursting into class when he happened to glance at the clock. Thirty minutes had passed! Mother would be impatient and angry.

Raking a lean hand over his curly hair, he made excuse,

"It's been so nice to see you both again. I do hope you'll both stop by. It's rather lonely for Mother."

Samantha was looking at Eddie like she wanted to say something, but she closed her mouth at the last minute, and Eddie knew he'd better leave. A proper social call was to take 15 minutes, after all.

He left as quickly as he had came.

* * *

As soon as he'd left and the butler had shut the door firmly behind him, Samantha leaned back and sighed.

"Well," she said, "well well!"

"He _has _changed quite a bit, hasn't he?" Nellie commented. "He was very polite. Perhaps he's finally matured."

Samantha nodded, but she didn't really hear Nellie. In her head, she was picturing the new Eddie Ryland. And she liked it.

"Why, Samantha Parkington! You don't think he's really changed that much, do you? We were always fighting with him over something."

"Perhaps not," agreed Samantha, but she had a dreamy look on her face that Nellie did not like one bit.


	3. Chapter 3

**Reviews make me happy! Thanks again to the sweetheart Asline Nichole! Shout out to SmurfBlue for inspiring a new chapter! And thanks to Mad Tom for following!**

"Miss O'Malley, you've done an excellent job here at the settlement house. The students love you. But you've now completed college."

Mrs. Brennan worked her fingers upward into a steeple, Nellie' s eyes nervously following her every move.

"Which is why we're offering you a full-time position as the young ladies' class instructor."

"Oh-oh, my! Thank you-"

Nellie threw her arms around Mrs. Brennan. "Thank you! I can't wait to tell Samantha!"

The older woman laughed. "Go and tell her, then."

Tugging her coat on, Nellie flew out the door and down the streets. She knew it was most un-ladylike for a young woman of her social standing to run pell-mell through the streets of Mount Bedford, but she didn't care.

_If only Mam and Da could see me now._

She smiled a little sadly, thinking. Her life certainly would be different if they were still alive. She would never have went to college, never been adopted by the Parkington family,never been able to get good care for Bridget and Jenny, who still lived with Uncle Hard and Aunt Cornelia. Yes, she knew it was for the better, but she missed them terribly.

* * *

"Edward, when are you going to get married?"

"I told you, Mother. As soon as I get your finances in order, I'm enlisting."

"And _I've _told_ you _you'll do nothing of the sort!"

"Mother-"

"Don't you 'Mother' me, Edward Troy Ryland."

"I'm not a child anymore. I moved back to help manage the estate, not be ordered around like a toddler."

He stalked out of the parlor and into the kitchen, listening to her tirade fade and snitching a cookie from the jar on the counter. Bertha Mallory, their elderly housekeeper who'd cared for their family since Eddie'sbirth, looked at him.

"Mister Eddie, it's no good for you to be fightin' with your mama."

He sighed. "I know, Bertha. She just doesn't understand. All my college friends are having exciting adventures and planning to enlist- everyone knows we're going to come to England's aid any day now- and here I am, back at home and far away from my friends or any excitement."

"Missy Samantha's back, too, you know." Bertha looked at him slyly out of lowered eyelids.

"So she has." He really did not want to discuss this!

"Don't you just wish something exciting would happen, like war?"

"You wicked boy!" She swatted at him with a dishtowel. "Sure an' you want somethin' to happen! But do you even think that you'd get hurt or killed or the-"

Abruptly he jammed his hat on his head. "I'm going out."

"Be careful now, y'hear?"

Darkly reflecting that the entire world must think he was 12 instead of nearly 20, he muttered, "Yes, ma'am."

He stepped out onto the veranda, leaning against one of the porch columns. With his hands he grasped the railing. The cool metal felt good.


End file.
